Absalom Baird
|died= |placeofbirth= Washington, Pennsylvania |placeofdeath= Relay, Maryland |placeofburial= Arlington National Cemetery |placeofburial_label= Place of burial |image= |allegiance= United States of America Union |branch= United States Army Union Army |serviceyears= 1849 - 1888 |rank= Brevet Major General |commands=Inspector General of the Army |battles= American Civil War |awards= Medal of Honor |laterwork= }} Absalom Baird (August 20, 1824 – June 14, 1905) was a career United States Army officer who distinguished himself as a Union Army general in the American Civil War. Baird was awarded the Medal of Honor for his military actions Early life Baird was born in Washington, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the preparatory department of Washington College (now Washington & Jefferson College) in 1841. He enrolled in the United States Military Academy and graduated in 1849, ranked ninth in a class of 43. From 1852 to 1859, he was a mathematics instructor at West Point, where one of his students was James McNeill Whistler. From 1859 to 1861, he served in Texas and Virginia. Civil War When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Baird was promoted to brevet captain. He fought at the First Battle of Bull Run under Brig. Gen. Daniel Tyler, and was promoted to brevet major. He became chief of staff to Maj. Gen. Erasmus D. Keyes and fought in the Peninsula Campaign, where his service earned him a further promotion to brevet brigadier general. In 1862, Baird commanded a brigade in the Army of the Ohio under Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell, and helped secure the Cumberland Gap. He commanded a division in Kentucky, and then joined the Army of the Cumberland under Maj. Gen. George Henry Thomas in XIV Corps. It was in this post that he won fame for his heroic efforts at the Battle of Chickamauga and the Chattanooga Campaign. In the Atlanta Campaign, Baird led a brigade charge in the Battle of Jonesborough. He led his division in Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's March to the Sea and Carolinas Campaign. Baird led his division in the Battle of Bentonville in the latter campaign. By the end of the war, Baird had been promoted to brevet major general and permanent lieutenant colonel. Postbellum career Following the war, Baird served as commander of the department of Louisiana and then as an assistant inspector general. He was appointed Inspector General of the Army in 1885 as a permanent brigadier general. In 1887, he traveled to France to observe military maneuvers, and was awarded the Légion d'honneur. In 1896, Baird was awarded the Medal of Honor for leading the charge at Jonesborough. He died near Baltimore, Maryland, and is buried in section 1, lot 55, at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved on 2007-11-07 Medal of Honor citation *Rank and organization: Brigadier General, U.S. Volunteers. *Place and date: At Jonesboro, Georgia, September 1, 1864. *Entered service at: Washington, Pennsylvania. *Birth: Washington, Pennsylvania. *Date of issue: April 22, 1896. Citation: Voluntarily led a detached brigade in an assault upon the enemy's works. See also *List of Medal of Honor recipients *List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: A–F *List of American Civil War generals Notes References * Retrieved on November 7, 2007 * *American National Biography, vol. 1, pp. 906–907. *Arlingtoncemetery.net profile, with gravestone photos *Photographs of Absalom Baird *New York Times obituary, June 15, 1905 (subscription required) Category:1824 births Category:1905 deaths Category:Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Category:United States Military Academy alumni Category:Union Army generals Category:United States Army generals Category:Army Medal of Honor recipients Category:Washington & Jefferson College alumni Category:Légion d'honneur recipients Category:Inspectors General of the United States Army